"... The Venice of the North ..."

For many visitors to the UK, Birmingham is not one of the first cities they would think to visit - London, Edinburgh and York are much more likely choices.

So you may be surprised to find out the Birmingham is, in fact, Britain's second largest city.

Perhaps the reason that Birmingham is so easily overlooked by tourists is its strong association with industrialisation, which gives the tourist mental images of roads, tower blocks and factories belching out smoke.

But don't be misled. Birmingham actually has a lot going for it. Recent years in particular have seen a massive rejuvenation of the city and today Birmingham is much more a cultural centre than an industrial wasteland.....